


Do you love me?

by drizzyfinn



Series: you are a city girl, i am a city boy [2]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: I LOVE THIS IDEA, mileven phone call
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-05-27 08:07:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15020294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drizzyfinn/pseuds/drizzyfinn
Summary: Mike calls his girlfriend after hearing his parents' troubles.inspired by an edit that @strangergames_ on Instagram made of a 'Mileven phone call'





	Do you love me?

"You're never home! And even when you are home you never spend time with us!" His mom yelled.

"I am not here because I am out  _there_ working my ass off everyday to provide for this family!" His father yelled back.

"The kids don't need more money! They have enough! What they need is a father in their lives!" 

"That's it! I'm done!" The next minute there was a door slam and the sound of his mother crying. 

Mike hates when his parents get like this. He was in his room with Holly and Nancy, waiting for it to end.

"I'm going to check on mom." Nancy said before leaving. He nodded before turning his attention back to Holly who was crying in his arms. 

"I-Is...daddy leaving?" Holly asked, her breathing shallow and quick.

"I don't know, Hols. I don't think he is." Mike hugged his little sister even tighter.

 _Bullshit. It's already obvious he wants to leave._ Mike thought to himself.

Hearing his parents fight wasn't weird and scary for him anymore. It's happened so many times that he's already gotten used to the screaming. It used to be once in a while but lately, it's been happening almost weekly. It's hard for him to think about. He always thought that his parents were deeply in love; every kid usually thinks that about their parents.

But what is the kid supposed to think once mommy and daddy start screaming and throwing things at each other?

Mike doesn't deny it. He gets scared for his own relationship because of his parents. The trauma that he and his sisters have gone through-are  _still_ going through-is enough to damage the idea of love for a person.

It's on those type of nights that Mike seeks reassurance from her.

He goes into Nancy's room and looks for her phone. He finds it and immediately starts dialing a number he's pressed so many times that it is engraved in his brain.

The dial tone rings three times before her sweet voice floods Mike's ears. Her voice starts to calm Mike down through his sobs and he finds the words to form a question that is constantly on his mind. Or at least a question that's been on his mind ever since his parents started fighting.

"Hello?" She asks.

And through the tears he asks--always painfully awaiting the answer, "Do you love me?"

To his relief, her answer is the same thing every time, "Yes."

"Do you promise?" He always asks her after, because a promise is something you can never break.

"Promise." She always tells him, understanding the meaning and the intensity--the  _strength--_ of the word.

They spend a few seconds in silence before Mike hangs up relieved. 

It's those moments that reassure Mike that he's fine. His whole world could be crumbling down, his parents could divorce, it wouldn't matter because she loves him and would be right next to him through it all. She is the only one he needs.

"Mikey, Nance is calling us." Holly tugged on his sweater, pulling Mike out of his trance.

Mike nodded and they walked hand-in-hand downstairs towards Nancy and their mother.

"Mommy," Holly gasped as she saw her mother sitting on the couch in tears.

"Hi, Hols." Their mother said, hugging Holly as if her life depended on it.

(To Karen Wheeler, it truly felt like that)

"Where did daddy go?" Holly asked.

"Daddy...He went out. He's with his friends. He'll be back later, don't worry. But, you'll already be asleep," is the lie that Karen Wheeler told her youngest child.

Both Nancy and Mike looked at each other, sadness, disappointment, and a little bit of hope in both of their eyes. They looked at their mother whose look on her face confirmed it.

They realized that it was finally happening. This fight was the last one. Their parents were going to divorce each other. 

Karen looked down and saw that Holly had fallen asleep and got up to put Holly into bed. 

Mike sat down next to Nancy and they both stared at the floor in silence. They both didn't know what to think.

Should they be happy? After all, they were getting tired of the screaming and fighting. No kid likes to hear their parents fight. If them divorcing was the solution to that problem, shouldn't they be joyful?

Should they be sad? Their parents are divorcing. They won't have both parents living under the same roof anymore. They might move houses. They could possibly move states.

Mike, for sure, is sad. He didn't want to leave Hawkins. He didn't want to leave his friends. He didn't want to leave  _her._

Nancy, on the other hand, is--ashamed to be--overjoyed at the news. For years she has to listen to them scream crude remarks at each other and hear the sound of plates crashing so many times.

Nancy finally made the first move and got up from her seat to go upstairs. She made it to the foot of the stairs before going back to Mike. She hugged him, which surprised him, and told him, "It will be alright. It's going to be okay."

Mike hugged her back as a thank you and pulled away. They gave each other a soft smile and Nancy went upstairs to get ready for bed. Mike went downstairs to the basement instead.

He sat down in the fort and laid down to stare at what was above him.

" _Mike,_ " He heard. He already knew who it was since it's happened multiple times to him. He concentrated and started talking to her.

_Hi._

_I just...I wanted to know if you are okay._

_I'm not really okay._

_Why?_

_My parents are getting divorced._

_What does that mean?_

_It's what happens when you break this special promise. It's a promise that has the name, "Marriage." It's when two people promise to love each other for the rest of their lives, no matter what happens._

_Oh._

_Yeah. It's a serious promise to break and...and since they're divorcing, I might move away._

_From Hawkins?_

_Yeah, from Hawkins._

_I don't want you to leave._

_I don't want to leave either. I want to stay with you._

_..._

_Do you love me?_

_Yes._

_Do you promise?_

_Promise._

Both of their heart rates increase.

_Mike._

_Yes?_

_Do you still want to...marriage?_

Mike chuckled to himself at her wording.

_Only if it's to you. Only you._

Her cheeks flushed red and she smiled at the thought of her and Mike marriaging.

_'Night, Mike. I love you._

_'Night, El. I love you._

And with that they both fell asleep, comforted by the other even though they were miles apart. 

**Author's Note:**

> i wanted to try something different!! but i feel happy with this.


End file.
